


More Than Just Friends

by Dweeb_Senpai



Category: Final Fantasy VI
Genre: Eventual Romance, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-17
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2019-07-13 12:11:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16017662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dweeb_Senpai/pseuds/Dweeb_Senpai
Summary: Locke has recently endured the loss of his fiancée Rachel and goes to join the rebel group known as the Returners. His first task sends him out to the castle in the desert but little did he know that he was meeting the king himself. They become fast friends, but neither expected to care so much about the other...





	More Than Just Friends

**Author's Note:**

> A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR: Though I always value and accept any and all forms of constructive criticism, please be aware that this story was written in Google Hangouts for my girlfriend in a short amount of time before being copy-pasted to here. Thank you for your understanding and I hope you enjoy this little piece I wrote :)
> 
> P.S I just want to apologise in advance for this clichéd plot and crappy romance. I haven't had a lot of practice writing.

Our story begins with an adventurous young treasure hunter, fighting against the vicious regime of the Empire.

After losing his fiancée in an attack on Kohlingen, he joined the Returners to give his life purpose again. The group of rebels were immediately impressed by his skill at sleight of hand and thievery, though Locke insisted on being called a treasure hunter, he quickly became a valued member of the Returners. His first major job was to sneak into an imperial camp to gather information about the Empire and their plans and deliver it back to their double agent in Figaro Castle.

He arrives in the dead of night, the imposing castle standing high and mighty in front of him. There is a lone knight standing guard at the door. Locke mutters the codeword, and the guard nods before opening the door and gesturing for the thief to follow. Locke had never seen a place so huge. Sure, there were rich houses with loads of rooms he had..... borrowed things from, but this was on a whole other level. The guard led him down a long hallway lit by torches into a room with two armchairs. One facing the door, which is empty and one with its back turned away. Locke can just make out the shape of a man sitting in the chair facing away. He figures this must be the double agent he was told to meet, so Locke takes a seat opposite the mystery man.

His hands are clasped in front of him, his head is down and his dazzling blond hair is covering the view of his face. Locke can't help but feel a little nervous about this exchange. He knows nothing about this man, only that he's been a double agent for the Returners for three years now. Someone that cunning to be able to fool the Empire for that long is immediately intimidating. The stranger breaks the silence and asks Locke for the information he has gathered, not yet revealing his face. A little anxious, the treasure hunter straightens out his nerves and relays what he has learned.

The mystery man nods, and thanks Locke for his trouble. Then, to the horror of the young man, he asks why Locke is so nervous. How did he know? Locke stammers out that's this is his first mission and he's never been in a castle before. With absolutely no warning, the stranger springs out of his chair with an excited grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye. "Well then, I formally welcome you to the resistance! Come with me, and I'll show you 'round!" Locke just about died of a heart attack from this spontaneous energy, but how could he refuse a tour of a place like this? He graciously accepts and follows the stranger out of the room.

"Oh, how rude of me! I haven't even introduced myself." The stranger reveals himself to be Edgar Figaro. That name rings a bell, and it takes Locke a moment to realise that the double agent is none other than the King of Figaro himself. Gobsmacked, the thief clumsily bows but Edgar just waves him off and tells him to leave the formalities. The two men walk around the castle, Locke admires the many different artefacts on display but restrains himself out of respect for the young ruler. After a long time touring the castle (it is a large place after all) and many conversations, the two discover they get along like jam on toast. Edgar offers to let Locke stay the night, as the road back to Narshe is long and perilous. Of course, he accepts and is taken to one of the guest rooms. Edgar bids him farewell and Locke sleeps in the comfiest bed he has ever known.

After a lovely breakfast, courtesy of Edgar, the no longer nervous young man returned to Narshe happy that his first official mission was a great success. The Returners are very pleased with his performance and Locke soon becomes the number one spy for the group. Which means more trips to Figaro Castle, and more time with the spritely royal whom he has become fast friends with. So much so that Locke has even begun to look forward to his missions, regardless of the danger. When he arrived at the castle, Edgar would be there at the entrance every time, grinning mischievously and ready to greet his new friend. They would talk a lot about the adventures they've had. Locke would tell of his grand escapades stealing treasures, and Edgar would recount stories of him and his brother causing trouble when they were younger. Although the two thoroughly enjoy each other's company, the boisterous King has a better idea than just sitting and talking.

Locke is eager to receive his next mission, only this time he is told to meet up at South Figaro instead of the castle. Confused and lacking in information, he completes the job nonetheless and arrives in the small town on the other side of the mountains. It doesn't take long for him to find Edgar, as he doesn't exactly look like your average citizen. He could spot that blond hair from a mile away. So there he is, waiting like he always does. Grin as wide as ever, and a look in his eye that Locke could recognise in an instant. Adventure. The thief, greatly intrigued by the change in locale, asks "So what exactly are we doing here?" Edgar chuckles and replies with his own question. "Have you ever ridden a chocobo before?" Locke shakes his head, as he notices the building behind his friend is a chocobo stable. "Then today is your lucky day~!" On cue, two large yellow feathered birds are brought out and stand beside Edgar. As adorable as they are, Locke can't help but feel a little nervous again. The same kind of nerves he felt when first meeting his regal friend. He brushes it off and watches as the aforementioned friend mounts one chocobo and tells Locke to simply follow his lead. So he climbs up on the last bird, and the two kick off, Edgar far in front being the more experienced rider, and Locke trailing behind.

Edgar sees his friend lagging behind, so he pulls back on the reigns and slows the chocobo to run alongside Locke to ask if everything is alright. The newbie rider chuckles awkwardly as he admits that this is a lot harder than it looks. To his surprise, the King smiles at him and Locke can't help but feel a little shy. Edgar explains that it took him a while to get the hang of chocobo riding, and Locke shouldn't feel too discouraged. After a few more minutes of walking, the two reach a small forest. Feeling a little more confident in his skills now, the would-be jockey proposes they race through to the other side. Being the devious man that he is, Edgar suggests they raise the stakes by making the loser have to buy the other lunch when they get back to town. The terms are agreed upon and they line up, ready to go.

On the count of three, the young men race off into the forest, spurred on by the fact that neither of them wanted to lose to the other. For most of the race, the two of them were neck and neck. No one was getting a massive lead over the other, and the edge of the forest was growing nearer. Then, before either of them could come up with a plan to overtake their opponent, a loud ferocious roar rings out through the forest. Locke's chocobo panics and throws him off its back before running back to town. Edgar manages to calm him down and stop it from bolting, so he dismounts and runs over to the fallen thief. However, before he can even ask if his friend is okay, a belmodar aggressively charges at them, its sharp horn heading right in their direction. Locke panics and tries to scramble to his feet, while Edgar remains stalwart and unmoving. He pulls out a crossbow and unloads about 10 arrows into the beast before it falls dead seconds away from colliding with them. Edgar turns around and asks Locke if he's okay, and the thief nods quietly until he tries to take a step and his right leg buckled under him. Edgar swiftly catches him and puts his arm around his injured friend's shoulders to support him. Locke reckons he must've sprained his ankle when he was thrown to the ground. With only one chocobo and a long way back to town, there's no way they would make it back on foot. Out of nowhere, Edgar instructs the thief to climb up on the chocobo. Not knowing what the king's plan is, he does so and is surprised when Edgar climbs on too. He sits in front of Locke and advises that he hold on to something. "Hold on to what?" The thief asked. "Ermm... Me I suppose." Locke was startled by the reply, but it made sense to him. The reigns weren't long enough to reach, so it wasn't like he had any other options. He slowly put his arms around Edgar's waist, and the chocobo started running back to town. On the way there, Locke started to feel a little strange... A weird feeling was growing inside him. Something he hasn't felt since he lost Rachel, but that can't be possible... Was he starting to like the man in front of him? Locke tried to push the thought to the back of his mind, but it persisted. All the way back to South Figaro, he thought about the possibility.

Edgar can feel the body heat of the man nestled behind him, and it stirs up memories of when he and Sabin used to ride chocobos together when they were younger. He smiles sorrowfully, lost in his own thoughts. "Is everything alright? You're kinda spacing out..." Locke's voice breaks his train of thought, catching him off guard. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about the past." The thief knows exactly what he's talking about from the many conversations they have shared. Although he may be curious, he knows not to push for answers. It's a touchy subject for the royal, and Locke knows how that feels. He tightens his grip on Edgar and rests his head on the King's shoulder, hoping that it's enough to comfort him. Edgar feels his cheeks start to heat up, but he can't explain why. However, he does feel more relaxed knowing that Locke is right there beside him.

They continue like this in silence, Locke almost falling asleep to the rhythmic swaying of the chocobo and the surprisingly comfortable person sitting in front of him. He was just about to drift off again when they stopped moving. They had made it back to town. Edgar peered over his shoulder and grinned. "Now, how about that lunch? I'm buying." Locke tilts his head to the side and mentions that they never finished the race so he doesn't have to pay. Edgar just shrugs and says that he's hungry. He helps Locke off of the chocobo, and onto his feet. He asks how his ankle is doing, and Locke manages to put most of his weight on his injured foot. "I should be fine, thanks." The two men walk over to the cafe, order their food and drinks before sitting down at a secluded table in the corner. Then, out of the blue, Edgar apologises for getting Locke injured. Startled, the young thief reassures his friend that none of it was his fault. "It was just an accident, there's no way you could have known we'd be attacked. You don't have to apologise for anything." He smiles at the troubled man, which brings some solace, but he still feels somewhat responsible for the incident.

After that, it's silent between the two friends as they eat. After all, they both have much to think about. Locke is struggling to come to terms with these new feelings that have emerged, and Edgar is starting to develop some strange feelings of his own. They finish their meals, and Locke comments that he should probably be getting back to Narshe. Edgar agrees, and they trek back to the castle where they say their goodbyes and part ways. The walk back to the Returners hideout alone is almost unbearable for Locke. He can't seem to get his friend out of his head, and his ankle only makes the trip last longer. Thankfully he can shove the thought of his best friend to the back of his head to come up with an excuse for how he got injured. Thank god for Arvis, another new friend of his, who helps convince the leader of Locke's deception. Unfortunately, Locke is put off duty to recover and he isn't able to go on another mission for a while. As he rests, he can't help but feel bad for the King he left in the desert. He knew he still felt bad about the accident, so he thought this time it was his turn to do something nice. He spent the rest of his time off planning the perfect outing for the two of them. Locke passes his medical exam and is sent away on another mission. Excited about being able to enact his plan, he isn't as focused, and accidentally blows his cover. The Empire throws him into a holding cell, and Edgar is left wondering why his friend never showed up...

A day passes, and with no contact from Locke, Edgar decides to take matters into his own hands. He makes his way straight to Narshe to see if he can find out what's happened to his friend. Storming into the hideout of the Returners, everyone immediately turns to look and gasps. Edgar ignores them and heads straight to the main room where their leader is. Swinging the door wide open, he angrily strides right up to the poor fellow and demands to know where Locke is. Terrified by the King's intimidating figure, all he can do is stutter out the location of the Imperial encampment he was sent to. Edgar smirks because that's all he needs to know. Nothing would stop him from finding his best friend, not even the might of the Empire. He left as swiftly as he came in, and when he returned home, he prepared to set off for the last known location of Locke Cole. The chancellor tried to persuade him not to go alone, but Edgar just wouldn't listen. He puts on a hooded cape to hide his identity and leaves as quickly as he can. He figures the quicker he finds him, the less he has to think about the horrible conditions Locke may be in. It takes Edgar a full day to reach the location mentioned by the Returners, and he can just make out the shape of the camp in the night. He slips past the searchlights and past a few guards idly chatting, until he overhears some rather disturbing conversation...

"Hey, d'you see that pathetic Returner kid who thought he could sneak his way in here?"  
"You mean the one chained up in Detention Block C? Yeah, what a joke. I heard when he talked back to the General, he really got the crap beaten out of him."  
"Ha! What I would have given to have seen that! That Returner dog got what he deserved!"

Resisting the incredibly strong urge to fill them full of arrows, Edgar continues on his way to Detention Block C thanks to the information he just heard. Making sure that no one spots him, he finds the makeshift prison which has one guard posted at the door. Conveniently, there is a ring of keys clipped to his side. Edgar sneaks up behind the guard and taps him on the shoulder causing him to turn around. "What the hell do you wan-?!" The guard collapses after Edgar delivers a mean right hook straight to his face. "You won't be needing this~." Edgar quips as he takes the keys and carefully unlocked the prison door. The room was lined with dirty cells on both sides of the building. Thankfully, there were no more guards inside, so Edgar slowly walks down the dark corridor, checking each cell for his friend. As his footsteps echoed through the dank building, someone speaks out through the darkness. "Back for more, huh...? I already told you I'm not going to tell you what you want." The voice sounded tired and weak, but there was no mistaking that it belonged to the missing thief. Edgar called out to him and ran to the cell at the very back of the room. He knew he was going to be reunited with the man he had grown close to, but nothing would have prepared him for the scene in front of him.

"E-Edgar....?" Locke was slumped on the ground, his wrists were shackled to the wall and his head was bowed. Blood was trickling down his forehead while red stains covered his torn clothes and dried blood covered the floor. His bandana had been removed and used as a makeshift bandage around his upper arm, which was now drenched, revealing the thief's scraggly brown-blond hair. Edgar was too terrified to move. All he could do was stand and stare. Completely paralysed as tears filled his eyes and memories of his father's death flashed before him. Locke groaned as he slowly raised his head to confirm it was indeed the man he called out to, and as he stared back into those deep blue eyes, he smiled. "You managed to.... sneak in here pretty easily......... No wonder... you've duped these scumbags.... for so long....... You might just.... put me out of a job......." Locke chuckled weakly before wincing in pain. Edgar snapped out of his trance, wiped the tears from his eyes and ran over to where the thief was chained and knelt beside him. "I'm going to get you out of here Locke, just hang in there." It was all Edgar could manage to say as he looked upon his friend's bruised and bloodied face. Using the keys he swiped earlier, the King quickly unlocked the shackles binding Locke and gently lifted him up. He had to get back to Figaro Castle, but with a mortally wounded Locke, he couldn't simply make a run for it out of fear he might worsen the condition of his friend.

Locke's head was spinning, and his vision was blurrier than fog on a rainy day. He couldn't tell if it was from suddenly being moved after two days of being chained to a wall, or from the great amount of blood he has lost, or even a bit of both. He was, however, extremely grateful that Edgar was here with him now. Locke strained his eyes to try and focus on the face of his friend above him. He looked frantic, angry, desperate and very afraid while he carried Locke back through the encampment. The battered young man wanted nothing more than to ease Edgar's worries, but he barely had the energy to sit up let alone speak. He knew that the King would never forgive himself should he die in his arms like this, but an immense dread was building up in the pit of his stomach... He knew that he couldn't stay awake forever. Edgar, on the other hand, was praying to just about every divine entity he could think of that Locke would survive the journey. Just thinking about losing another person dear to him was enough to drive him mad with grief.

Edgar was just a few metres from the front gate, and most of all freedom when he was temporarily blinded by multiple spotlights aimed directly at him. "There's the intruder! He's trying to make off with the prisoner! Stop him!!" Soldiers began closing in on the pair, but the exit was still clear. "I'm really sorry about this..." Edgar pulled the younger man closer to his chest and bolted towards the gate. He could feel Locke tense up from the pain and he mentally kicked himself for having to do this to him, but they'd get caught otherwise so he kept running. Unfortunately, so did the soldiers, and with the extra weight, there was no way Edgar could outrun them even with his head start. So he put Locke down and leaned him up against a rock before turning around to face the incoming attackers. There were four of them, all armed with batons and about to surround him, but the King wasn't about to let anything get past him. "You really thought you could get away from the Empire so easily? Filthy resistance dogs!" One of the soldiers barked. Edgar just grinned somewhat maliciously from under his hood. "Frankly, I prefer the term Your Highness." He threw the hooded cape off, tossing it aside and revealing he was, in fact, the King of Figaro. Drawing his sword, he swiftly kills the soldier who spoke by stabbing him right through the chest. "So if you bastards think you have a chance against me, I'd ask you to reconsider." The other remaining soldiers hesitated for a moment before all three of them charged at the intruder. Edgar managed to defend against their first attack, but these soldiers were well trained and they outnumbered him three to one. That's not to say Edgar was bad at sword fighting, on the contrary. It's just that one doesn't often find themselves in this kind of situation, and he was quickly starting to feel overwhelmed. Locke had realised he was no longer moving, and he painfully lifted his head to see the blurry shape of his friend being attacked by multiple soldiers. He wanted to get up and help, but his whole body felt like it was made of lead and any kind of movement caused immense pain. His eyes grew heavier until he couldn't keep them open any longer. Locke said to himself that he would just get a little rest... Edgar kept fighting, despite having taken some hits. Spurred on by the knowledge that taking too long could spell the end for potentially both of them, Edgar managed to take out another soldier, then another, and then the last one fell to his sword too. Not wanting to waste any more time he ran over to where he left Locke and seeing that his eyes were closed sent the poor King into a panic. Screaming his name, he sprinted to the young man's side and knelt beside him. "Locke! Locke, you have to wake up!" He got no response. His friend remained still and silent. "Please tell me you can hear me! Please!" Edgar could feel the tears coming back as he took Locke back into his arms. "Please... I don't want to lose you too..."

Locke slowly opened his eyes halfway, after hearing Edgar's desperate pleas. He doesn't want his friend to go through that pain they are all too familiar with. "I'm..... still.... here..." The King gasps surprised that Locke was still alive but also at the lifeless sound of his voice. "Locke, don't you ever scare me like that again!" Edgar's voice quivered as he tried to sound mad without bursting into tears. Locke chuckled quietly. "Sorry..... Edgar..." He smiles up at his friend, not wanting him to know how much of a struggle it is to stay awake, and of the fear slowly wrapping itself around the poor thief. Each time he felt like closing his eyes, the thought that they might not open again creeps its way into his mind. But the thing he's most afraid of is not being able to tell Edgar how he feels. It took being captured and beaten half to death to realise just how much he loved him.

Edgar's thoughts were a mess, he couldn't understand anything of what he was feeling. He figured this was happening because the wound left by his father's passing is still fresh, and this was just plunging the knife deeper, but there's more to it than that. Seeing his best friend like this tore him up on the inside like nothing else he had ever experienced. "Edgar....... You're... crying...?" He hadn't noticed until now, but Locke was right. Tears had started to well up in his eyes and a few had fallen onto Locke's cheeks. Edgar didn't say anything, so with every ounce of strength, the thief reached up and wiped the tears from the King's face. That was enough to break him, and the sobbing began. He just couldn't hold it back anymore. "This was all my fault... If I had just looked for you sooner, none of this would have happened... I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry...." Locke frowned and shook his head, completely disagreeing with what Edgar was saying. He wanted to tell him about what he had planned, and how that distracted him and got him caught but Locke didn't even have the energy to speak anymore. He could tell his condition was getting worse still and he had no idea how far away the castle was, but he had to hold on for Edgar's sake as well as his own.

However, Locke was losing confidence in his ability to do so with every passing second. If he was going to tell his friend he loved him, it had to be now because there might not be a later. Shoving his fear to the back of his mind, he called upon all the courage and energy he could muster. "Quit... apologising.... There... there's s-something... I h-have... to tell you......." Edgar stopped talking and stared down at Locke. "W-We've had... some great t-times..... together....... And I-I want..... you to know...... that I don't blame... a-any of this on you......" Edgar had heard this conversation before, and it was making his insides tie themselves into knots. "N-No, stop... Don't do this..." Locke ignored him and kept speaking. "You've d-done..... your best.... but I'm n-not sure..... If I can....... keep going..." The King was trembling with rage, grief, desperation and most of all the desire to stop everything from hurting. "Shut up, just shut up!!" Locke knew what he was saying was causing the older man as well as himself a lot of pain, but he continued to speak. "No..... I-I have to... to t-tell you........ t-that............" With those final words, Locke fell limply in Edgar's arms. "L-Locke...? Locke, wake up... Locke!!! Edgar screamed at the top of his lungs. He knew the castle was so close, but his emotions simply overwhelmed him and his legs buckled underneath him. Kneeling on the ground, Locke still in his arms and the tears streaming down his cheeks, Edgar had completely lost the will to continue. He pulled his friend closer and rested his forehead against his chest, sobbing violently and whimpering." Don't go... I don't want to be alone again.... Please wake up..... I don't know what I'll do without you......" In between his sorrowful cries, by some divine intervention, he felt a thump. Edgar put his ear against Locke's heart, and by some divine intervention, he heard it. It was incredibly faint, but it meant Locke was alive. The King felt the smallest glimmer of hope, so he got back up and bolted. He ran faster than he had ever run in his life. Within minutes, the castle was visible on the horizon. As soon as the guards were visible, he yelled out for them to open the doors. The guards saw the two men and scrambled to do as their monarch said. Edgar dashed inside and headed straight to the bedroom. He laid Locke down atop the bed sheets and turned to one of the knights. "Get the physician!" The poor fellow just about had a heart attack before sprinting off. Edgar pulled a chair up beside the bed and sat down, gazing upon the bruised man. Watching the shallow rise and falls of Locke's chest, which seemed to calm him down a little. The knight runs back into the room and announces the arrival of the castle's physician. A wizened old man, who has lived in the castle since before the former King Stewart was born. He sees the wounded thief lying on the bed and the grief-stricken King beside him and quickly makes his way over. "Can... can you save him...?" Edgar looked up at the doctor with hopeful eyes as the old man performed an examination on Locke. "In all my years as a physician, I have never encountered injuries as grievous as this." The hope started to waver in Edgar until the doctor spoke again. "However, this boy is incredibly resilient. It's quite the miracle that he's alive right now, but with the proper care he will recover." The King was overjoyed to hear the news. It felt like a monumental weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He breathed a sigh of relief as the doctor began to treat Locke's wounds. He asked that the King leave him alone to work, but assured him he would be the first to know if anything happened.

Edgar was pacing up and down outside Locke's room for what felt like hours, with no word from the doctor. He didn't know whether to be happy or worried about that, but he was about to get his answer. The door opened and the physician stepped out, though he hardly got out the doorway before Edgar bombarded him with questions. "How is he? Will he be okay? Is he going to wake up?" The doctor chuckled and told the King to calm down. "He is fine, Your Majesty. I stabilised his condition. So long as he is allowed to rest, he should make a full recovery. However, I know how much the boy means to you, so I'll give you ten minutes with him." Edgar thanked the doctor, then asked him what he meant when he said he knew how much Locke meant to him. The doctor chuckled and looked his king in the eye. "When you get to be my age Your Majesty, there are certain things in life you can recognise in an instant. Love is one of them. I saw it in the way you looked at him. Even if you yourself haven't realised it yet, you care very deeply about that boy." Edgar could feel his cheeks turn bright red as his insides began to do somersaults. The doctor laughed and put his hand on the King's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry Your Majesty. Your secret is safe with me. Remember, ten minutes then he will need to rest." Edgar nodded and walked over to the bedside before sitting back in the chair. The first thing he noticed was that Locke was now under the sheets, sleeping peacefully. The second thing he noticed was just how handsome Locke is without his trademark bandana covering most of his hair. Edgar smiled as he began to realise that what the physician said earlier had some truth to it. He was finally starting to understand what he felt. "Locke... If you can hear me, I just want to thank you for not giving up... I know it must have been incredibly painful for you, and you probably were just as scared as I was, but it's okay now. You can rest easy... and I'll see you soon." Edgar ran his fingers through the thief's scraggly brown-blond hair before getting up and walking out the door.

Four days pass, and Locke's condition improves tremendously with regular check-ups from the physician. Of course, Edgar visits regularly, hoping to see his best friend awake but alas, the young man just lay there sleeping as if nothing had happened. Later that night, the King goes to see Locke again. Upon seeing him, Edgar felt a twinge of loneliness and a longing to see his friend awake, to hear his voice, to hug him and never let go. He sat down on the edge of the bed and lay down on his side, next to the young man. It didn't take long for Edgar to fall asleep, happy that he had Locke right there with him and he suddenly didn't feel so lonely. On the morning of the fifth day, Locke had the worst headache in the history of headaches. His entire body felt like a paperweight, but there was something familiar about his situation... He was in the same bed he slept in the very first time he came to Figaro Castle. "Wait, I'm at the castle? So I didn't kick the bucket after all." He thought to himself, as he opened his eyes a sliver and breathed a sigh of relief. He tried to push himself up, but pain shot through his chest and arms. He gritted his teeth and managed to sit up, leaning against the bedhead. Locke opened his eyes further, only to see that the blankets he pushed off of him revealed his heavily bandaged arms, torso and legs. "Shoulda expected that..." He muttered. Looking over to the bedside table, he saw his clothes repaired and neatly folded along with his favourite bandana. Suddenly, he felt something shift beside him. Locke turned his attention to the source of the movement and needless to say, it wasn't anything he expected. "Gaah!! E-Edgar!? What the hell are you doing here!?" The King groaned and rolled onto his back. "Shut up Locke... it's still early and I'm tired...." There was silence for a few seconds until Edgar realised what had just happened. "Locke...!?" His eyes sprung open and he bolted upright to look at the thief. "You're awake!" The King immediately wrapped his arms around the younger man in a tight hug. "Ouch... Yep... I sure am..." Edgar chuckled sheepishly before backing off and apologising. Locke was somewhat curious about the King's reaction, so he asked how long he'd been out for and was visibly shocked with the answer. "Five days!? Gosh, I can't imagine what I must have put you through, I'm sorry." Edgar brushed his apology off and stated he was just glad Locke was okay. An awkward silence filled the room, as the thief's eyes began to wander. He saw his clothes again, but then the thought occurred to him that if his clothes were over there, then what was he wearing? He remembered looking down and seeing he was wearing nothing but a pair of boxers and his cheeks turned red. Now, Locke wasn't the muscular type, but he didn't really care about that. Rarely was he anxious about his appearance in front of others but of course, Edgar had to be the exception. Locke swiftly and without thinking pulled the bed sheets back over himself, startling Edgar until he realised what Locke was doing. The King laughed at his shyness, making the young thief's blush deepen. "I'll give you a moment to get dressed~," Edgar said with a slight teasing tone to his voice. He got up off the bed and was about to step towards the door before his friend called out. "W-Wait!" Locke dropped the sheet and grabbed Edgar's hand, making the king blush slightly. "I never got the chance to tell you what I wanted to say before I passed out..." The King slowly turned back around to face his friend, feeling a little nervous himself. Locke released Edgar's hand and sheepishly rubs the back of his head. It would seem that he's lost the courage he had earlier, but he's already got his friend's attention. "Uhhh... W-Well, first I wanna thank you for... y'know. Saving my life a-and all.... I honestly thought I wouldn't be here right now, s-so you can imagine I've had a lot on my mind....." Edgar sat back down next to Locke, a concerned look on his face. "Hey, you don't have to say anything if you don't feel up to it. We're both still pretty shaken by what happened. I'd understand if you didn't want to talk about it." The thief just shook his head and took a deep breath, and calmed himself. "No, this is something I want... need to say.... From the very first day we met, you've been the greatest friend a kid like me could ask for. Especially after what happened in Kohlingen, I felt like I had nothing left. You helped me put that pain behind me and I had something to live for again." Edgar's eyes widened in disbelief and his cheeks turned a darker shade of red. "But when I was thrown in that cell, it was all taken away from me just like before.... and I was terrified. I thought my life was over, but nothing scared me more than the thought of losing you...." Locke turned his gaze away from Edgar and shrunk back, feeling incredibly vulnerable but he kept talking. "Everything we've been through has made me realise that.... I l-like you, Edgar... I like you a lot..." The young man sat there and waited for the inevitable rejection. After all, he had heard about the many flirtations of the young King but he just ignored them before. Now that he had actually spoken his feelings though, he realised how stupid and ridiculous he sounded. There was an agonising silence as Locke waited for some kind of response, some kind of apology for not feeling the same way. In fact, he was so sure that he would get a negative response, he wasn't paying attention when Edgar started to lean towards him. The next thing he knows, a hand is running through his hair, tipping his head up, and a pair of lips are pressed against his. Not even a second passes, and Locke gives in, letting the other man have free reign. Edgar senses the younger man's submission and smirks. Immediately, he straddles the thief and pins his torso to the bedhead, all while deepening the kiss. His hands run up and down Locke's spine, sending shivers through his body. The younger man begins having difficulty keeping quiet, as a few soft moans escape his mouth, which only encourages Edgar. The King pushes his body against Locke's, further pinning him to the bedhead. The two of them eventually broke for air, panting heavily and staring into each other's eyes. "Edgar you bastard, why didn't you say anything?" Locke asked. "You weren't the only who had doubts, jackass. I was also a little distracted by, oh I don't know, trying to stop you from dying. You thought you had it bad? Well, I've lost both my father AND my mother, and I haven't had any contact with my brother for three years! I've lost everyone I've ever been close to... so I didn't want to believe my own feelings otherwise I might have lost you too. And I almost did..." Edgar hung his head in shame. Locke wraps his arms around the King and hugs him tightly. "You're not going to lose me, Edgar. I promise." Locke planted a soft kiss on the older man's forehead and stroked the back of his head. "Buuuuuut, there is something you are going to lose~." With seemingly no effort, the thief had unbuttoned Edgar's white shirt and in one swift motion, pulled it off and slid out of bed. Locke spun the shirt on his finger triumphantly, grinning mischievously at the bewildered man still on the bed. "This is for laughing at me earlier~. Want it back? Then come and get it~." Edgar glares at the criminal and grins maliciously. "Oh, you are so going to regret that!" He sprung off the bed and immediately ran at Locke, but being the expert thief he is, flawlessly dodged Edgar's attempt to capture him. "Are you sure about that, because I'm pretty regret free right now~." Locke knew he was quicker than his opponent, but he'd easily be overpowered if he couldn't keep his distance. They two chased each other around the room, Locke remaining just out of reach of Edgar's grasp. His overconfidence and taunting were growing, and the King finds an opening in his guard. While Locke was in the middle of teasing him again, Edgar leaps at the young man and tackles him to the ground. Locke, however, wasn't completely unprepared. He managed to spin around as he was tackled and straddle his assailant as he pinned them to the ground. The thief laughed triumphantly. "It would seem I must admit defeat. What are you going to do now~?" Edgar raised an eyebrow and smirked. Locke eyed the man, and a devilish idea popped into his head. He ran a finger up the middle of Edgar's muscular chest before leaning up to his ear and whispering "Payback...~." He began softly kissing down the side of the other man's neck. Edgar inhaled sharply as his cheeks turned bright red. "L-Locke, you bastard..." The King was unable to resist as the crafty thief had both his arms pinned. The younger man knew he was on to something, so he started to nibble the sensitive areas on Edgar's neck, causing the royal to moan softly and arch his back. "Ah ah ahh~, you're not free just yet~." Locke kissed back up Edgar's neck to his lips while running his hands up the blond's chest. The King's moans were becoming more audible, so Locke gently nibbled his upper lip before slowly backing away. Edgar was breathing heavily, his face completely red while Locke chuckled. "If I k-knew you were this good, I'd have kissed you l-long ago," the blond quipped as the younger man got off of him. "If I knew you looked this good without your shirt on, I'd have stolen it long ago~," Locke replied. "Touchè~." The two men straightened up (Ironic, I know) and put their clothes back on. The thief was about to tie his bandana back around his head when Edgar stopped him. "Leave it off. I like the messy hair~," He said as he ruffles the brunette's already messed up hair. Locke smiles and stuffs the bandana in his vest pocket.

After a meal and one final check with the physician, Locke is allowed to return to Narshe and the resistance fighters but he knew he'd be back. After all, he made a promise and Locke doesn't break his promises.


End file.
